Movie Recommendation: The Passion of the Christ

One of the most controversial films in history, Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ is much more than sheer violence and blood. It is a wonderfully made movie of Christ's last day.

When I went to see this movie, I was surprised at the level of storytelling it brought. The word on the street was that it was simply a movie filled with senseless violence to make people feel guilty. What I saw was a brilliant, artistic movie that I believe should have been nominated for an academy award. The cinematography, art direction, and soundtrack are all stellar. The very fact that the film's dialogue is in Aramaic and Latin and is subtitled in English makes the experience more authentic than any other film about Jesus that I have seen yet.

That being said, this movie does have a great deal of violence in it, as violence is the subject of the movie, and of today's holiday, Good Friday. The violence is in the movie for a reason, and the reason is far bigger than making people feel guilty or disgusted by horrifying images. When you watch this movie, know that for every bit of pain that Christ went through, you were saved. Again, do not feel guilty, as guilt was not Christ's message. Freedom was the message and the passion of Jesus Christ, and it is by His blood that we can be free.